Bishop

The Bishop is a Minister of Word & Sacrament and is elected by the Synod Assembly for a 6-year term. The full description of the role of the bishop can be found in Chapter 8 of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions. The Rev. Sue Briner currently serves as Bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod.

Office of the Bishop

The shared ministry of the Southwestern Texas Synod is stewarded by the staff off the Office of the Bishop, including Candidacy, Transitional Ministry, Call Process, First Call Accompaniment, Faith Formation, Congregational Vitality, New Ministry Development, Anti-Racism, and Coordinated Border Response. Our regional associates are an extension of our staff.

Synod Council

The Synod Council serves as the board of directors and as the interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. The make-up of the Synod Council is 60% Lay people and 40% Rostered Ministers. They are elected by the Synod Assembly.

Conference Deans

Conference Deans are an extension of the Office of the Bishop. They are appointed by the Bishop. Deans foster a sense of collegiality, care, co-learning, and collaboration among rostered ministers and Synod Authorized Ministers of their conference. They advise the bishop on strategic and tactical matters and serve on behalf of the bishop for installations, exit interviews, and various functions as requested.

Ministry Teams

Our Synod Ministry Teams partner with the Office of the Bishop to steward our ministries in the strategic areas of Leadership and Holy Experiments. In addition, Self-Organizing Ministry Teams may be formed with the permission of the Synod Council. These teams are made up of people with a passion for an issue/topic who connect and collaborate throughout the synod. The Ministry Team Chairs of the Leadership and Holy Experiments Team are elected by the Assembly and have a voice on Synod Council.